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Friday, August 19, 2011

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Julia Child stole my heart, but Patricia Wells grabbed all the shelf space as each of her thirteen books found a spot in the bookcases against my den walls. In an industry that has fallen victim to the cult of personality, this quiet and unassuming woman continues to write and teach and create gorgeous meals that define what good cooking should be. She does it without fuss or fanfare, and, fortunately for us, she records what happens in her kitchen. She studied art history and journalism in college. While she loved to cook, there were no food writers at the time she graduated, so she used her other skill and became an art critic for the Washington Post. Bored, she moved to New York and began to write about food whenever the opportunity arose. In 1976 she became a food writer for the New York Times and was finally able to combine her love of food and cooking with her writing. Two years later she moved to Paris to write for the Anglophone papers and, following publication of her first book, became the first woman restaurant critic for the French newspaper L'Express. In the intervening years, she garnered a James Beard Award for her writing and established a cooking school that is held in high regard. While French food is her forte, she now runs marathons and her work in recent years features lighter, healthier fare. I've selected this beautiful peasant tart to represent her recipes. It is delicious, simple to make and a perfect example of French bistro cooking. I hope you'll give it a try.

Directions:1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Place egg yolks in a large bowl and beat with a fork. Add creme fraiche and 3 tablespoons sugar, mixing until well-blended. Set Aside.
3) Peel and core apples. Cut them in half and then cut each half into quarters. Starting just inside edge of pastry shell, neatly layer slices, slightly overlapping them, in 2 or 3 concentric circles, working toward center of tart. Pour cream mixture over apples. Sprinkle top with reserved 2 tablespoons sugar.
4) Bake in center of oven until cream filling is set and apples are very brown, even blackened at edges, about 45 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 8 servings.

The following bloggers are also paying tribute to Patricia Wells. I hope you'll visit all of them.

Next week we will highlight the food and recipes of Lidia Bastianich. It will be really interesting to see what everyone comes up with. If you'd like to join us please email me for additional information. Everyone is welcome.

That tart is a dream! Probably the kind she no longer makes, now that she is running marathons! Love patricia wells and often envied her lifestyle, with a house in Provence and a pied-a-terre in Paris!

Thank you so much for taking the time to look around my blog! I tend to feel that it is a ghost town sometimes but I still write my posts nonetheless because I enjoy it. Your blog is simply scrumptious!! I was going to ask if you wanted the recipe for the oatmeal cake squares but I'm starting to think I will have to visit again to take a look at yours!

Mary! Thanks for the excellent write-up on Patricia Wells. I had never heard of her until this list of women was published! This tart is a classic of French fare isn't it? Perfect in its simplicity ...

This tart looks absolutely lovely! Great photo too. I actually just 'discovered' Patricia Wells (don't know where I have been all these years... under a rock probably!) I recently made her Apple Lady's Apple Cake which was a great hit with my family. I will bookmark this recipe and try it soon - almost apple season here! have a nice weekend!

I hope you don't see my comment over on Sam's blog. The one that says (out of 200+) I don't own one Patricia Wells cookbook and asked Sam to recommend one--or more. Contrary to what my family may think, my cookbook collection is far from complete.

This week I gained a new respect for Patricia Wells. She doesn't have the same visibility as some of the celebrity chefs these days so people may ot know her as well, but her resume speaks for itself. The tart you made is so representative of the recipes I've seen by Patricia Wells - simple but elegant.

I have her vegetable harvest book, and really need to pull it out more. The tart looks wonderful. I'm dreaming about all those autumn flavors now. I absolutely LOVE LYDIA! I just requested her latest book from the library and can't wait for the new show to air on PBS. I'll be interested to see all the recipes that everyone tries. Have a great weekend!

What a nice tribute to Patricia Wells! Thank you. She has been an inspiration for my husband and me for many years, beginning with her (now out-of-date) Food Lover's Travel Guides to France and Paris. We took her cooking class in Provence 15 years ago and still use tips we learned from her then. And.....all of her cookbooks are the real deal.

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